Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is setting up to launch a pension plan for their roster fighters. The move will ensure that competitors are compensated for their contributions to the sport long after their fights.
BKFC President Introduces Pension Plan
BKFC President Dave Feldman released a statement to MMA fighting in regards to their pension plans. In the report, he explained how the program would work and the trajectory of bare-knuckle boxing.
“Our fighters are the most important asset of the company,” said Feldman in the statement.
“We want to ensure that they are compensated not only on the night of the fight but also looked after in retirement. For each BKFC fight, money will be placed in a pension account for them to draw on upon retirement.
“BKFC is the hottest, fastest-growing and most exciting sport in the world, and we want to ensure that our fighters are taken care of in every possible way.”
Details of the Plan
However, to receive the pension, a fighter must be a part of the roster with a multi-fight deal. This means that boxers brought in for a box office one-off event would be excluded from the plan. Plus, fighters will have to be retired for five years before they can touch the money.
As Feldman continued to speak, he explained why the organization created the pension plan.
“I’ve been in this sport for a long time and I’ve seen my dad put a lot of money away for fighters in the past and they did everything they could to break it. A lot of them went broke.
“That’s why we put a minimum of five years on it, so they have it and they’re not just going to go out and blow it. They’re going to have it when they need it.”
The introduction of BKFC and their pension plan could be a blueprint that sparks conversation with other mainstream combat sports organizations. Now that the foundation has been laid, maybe others will soon follow.
